When you think about Wales, what springs to mind? Rain, sheep, an underdog football team doing ridiculously well in the Euros?

For me, it was a nostalgia-steeped Year Seven trip to a small market town in the south of the country called Abergavenny.

From my rose-tinted recollection we did some gorge walking, then walked up a mountain, abandoned going up to the top of said mountain because it was raining cats and dogs, got out a Woolworth’s tent and drank warm orange squash from a flask.

Great days.

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Well, much to my pleasure it turns out there is a whole lot more on offer in Dragon Country than damp hiking. In fact, a little over four hours by train from Nottingham is Swansea, a city bursting with culture, restaurants and bloody good bars.

The second capital of Wales sits on a bank of some of the most beautiful sandy beaches you’ll find in the UK. Even I, a lover of the Sunday lie-in, was inspired to set the alarm at stupid-o’clock to catch a phenomenal sunrise over the glorious bay alongside a handful of dedicated dog walkers and fellow sleepy tourists.

Taking Friday off work, me and my travelling buddy (who incidentally had actually gone to Swansea University but hadn’t seen half the sights having had her head in a pint of snake bite most of the time, obviously) we arrived to glorious sunshine.

First stereotype struck off the list then.

The Dragon Hotel, Swansea

Making our way to the Dragon Hotel was easy (it’s only about a five minute walk from the station and in the heart of the city centre. Great if you fancy a beverage or two in the famous Wind Street, which boasts quirky bar after bar as well as all the chain favourites).

Just around the corner is Swansea’s indoor market. We stop off there after checking in. The stall-holders are beyond nice. Want to try a Welsh Cake before you buy it for 34p? Sure. Ask them what Lava Bread is (a lovely seaweed side for breakfast), and they will tell you what it should go with. These are pals immediately, not salesman.

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The rooms are nice. Two girls with make-up, clothes and a penchant for spreading their belongings everywhere, need space and these digs have more than enough.

The bathroom is lush (that’s Welsh for awesome FYI) with a huge bath and shower that is powerful enough to feel you’ve had a good wash but not take your first layer of skin off.

The grub is good here too. Dining there the first night of our stay I pluck for the jalapenos, sea bass and cheese board while my pal goes for the terrine, steak (cooked medium) and cheese cake with fruit compote.

Risotto at the Dragon Hotel

The staff are lovely and perfectly walk that tricky line of checking in to make sure everything is OK (I wanted more crackers with my cheese) but not harassing you.

It’s good tucker, it’s exactly what it says on the tin and good value for money.

We both left fat and full by the end.

It’s an early start for Saturday heading to the ridiculously picturesque Mumbles so we decide to have an early night.

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Unlike Nottingham Castle this is what you expect when you go to a place once occupied by kings and queens. There are turrets, crumbling stone steps and arrow slits. The kids (or those still young at heart) can even dress up in ye olde costume.

Oystermouth Castle

Oh, and the vistas from the top are insane too. This is your Instagram feed’s friend, no filters required.

A quick trip to the Love Spoon Gallery will make you all misty-eyed. Some of these bad boys (hand carved and intended as wedding presents) are so intricate, so lovingly made, so expensive, it’ll make the most cynical person well up. We follow the stop-off up with a well-deserved trip to Verdi’s for lunch.

One word of warning, this place gets busy - very busy. There are the most spectacular views of the bay from its glass-walled dining room and (a running theme of this trip) the staff are ridiculously lovely.

Both me and my companion went for the mushroom, leek, shallot, carrot and celery soup, followed by a nut chocolate sundae for her and a Knickerbocker glory for me.

Now, I’m not a pudding person but between the ages of seven and 11 my requested birthday treat was going to Wimpy on my birthday for a Knickerbocker glory and I can confirm this one blows it out the water. If you come to Swansea, seriously you’re a fool if you don’t come here for a sweet treat.

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After a quick stop at the Gower Gallery where I had to stop myself buying everything we were back at the hotel for a lovely chilled out swim in the pool and a sit and sweat in the on-site sauna before glamming ourselves up for a dead posh dinner on the top floor of the tallest building in Wales.

OK, so it’s not the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building but the 360 views at Grape and Olive on the harbour are spectacular. I definitely annoyed a few diners by getting in their personal space to check out the different views.

My friend had smoked salmon and apple, lamb tagine, and an Eton mess, I had butternut squash and kale, risotto and flaked salmon and…. ANOTHER cheese board.

Lamb tagine at Olive and Grape

The food and service was excellent and we both left buzzing.

Cheese board at Grape and Olive

We had planned to have a bit of a night on the tiles but we were so stuffed, we ended up strolling home for an early night which I was glad for considering my bright idea to get up for sunrise the following morning.

Swansea's tallest building

After being up at the crack of dawn and having yet another amazing breakfast at the Dragon Hotel – where they added Lava Bread to my breakfast – we headed off to the Dylan Thomas Museum.

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Now, I like a museum, indeed my most requested outing as a rugrat was the Natural History Museum, in London. And this museum is genuinely outstanding. A collection of personal memorabilia and a wider context of Wales’ most famous writer makes for a unique and absorbing visit. It’s in equal amounts enlightening, heart-warming and proper sad.

After a fistful of Welsh history and a quick stop-off at the National Waterfront Museum we stopped by Café Two Cann for lunch (which has sadly now closed).

Having munched way too much the evening before and having had a large brekkie I didn’t really fancy the lush roasts they specialise in so instead asked for two starters; the crayfish/prawn/smoked salmon cocktail and goats cheese with beetroot sauce and breadcrumbs.